North Marion girls soccer come from behind, play Philomath to 2-2 draw

North Marion High School girls soccer scored two goals in the second half against Philomath on Tuesday, Oct. 8, at home to play the Warriors to a 2-2 draw.

Both teams entered the match as the top squads in the Oregon West Conference, each holding a 3-0 record in league. The No. 10 Warriors, who are among the leaders in the state in fewest goals allowed, stifled the Huskies through the first half, North Marion appearing a bit lethargic out the gate. Isabel Morales-Marquez and Kya Bolton scored their goals in the 15th and 28th minute for Philomath.

Then, the Huskies finally woke up. After spending most of the first 40 minutes on defense, North Marion was the clear aggressor through the second half. Bethany Dunn intercepted a lackadaisical throw-in from Philomath's goalkeeper Heidi Bacho, scoring in the 49th minute with a swarm of defenders surrounding her. Paige Comerford found the equalizer with just over 15 minutes left in regulation, sending a heater to the back of the net off her left foot.

Both teams scrambled in the waning minutes, with North Marion's Vanessa Valenzuela and Paula Mensa Torres-Ortiz notably getting decent looks at the goal, ultimately misfiring.

With Philomath and North Marion sitting firm as the top teams in the conference, it's likely the second league matchup between the teams on Oct. 24 will decide the league champion, barring any upsets. North Marion (4-3-1, 3-0-1 OWC) looks to return to its winning ways on the road against Stayton (1-5, 0-3 OWC) on Thursday, Oct. 10.